Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

This past weekend I decided to go for it and buy my first ice cream maker. I had been eyeing up the Cuisinart 2 QT one for several weeks and gave up any resistance this past Sunday.

I have never been a huge ice cream fan because I tend not to like the flavors of store-bought varieties. There is some odd after-taste I pick up on right away; almost plastic undertones. I figured homemade is always best so why not try making homemade ice cream and seeing if the same holds true for a creamy frozen treat. It does ! Homemade is BETTER!

First off, get your hands on an ice cream maker. I reviewed several models before deciding on the stainless steel Cuisinart 2 QT one. It is sturdy, easy to work with and does the job well.

I also went out the same day and bought some new dessert bowls.
I love ice cream served in pretty containers far more than any scoop wedged into a cone.
I bought these adorable bowls at Pier 1.



Now back to the ice cream! This recipe requires quite a bit of cooking before the custard can be poured into the machine, processed for 25 minutes, then frozen for 2-3 hrs before eating.
The time spent cooking the custard though is worth every moment. The end result is a rich, deep and flavorful chocolate ice cream that no store-bought brand can beat.

Here is the soft ice cream which I scraped into a freezer container. This now goes into the freezer for several hours and then it is ready to scoop out and eat !


The finished ice cream - incredibly smooth and creamy

LET'S GET STARTED !
Cuisinart source recipe (ingredients slightly adjusted)

WHAT YOU NEED

An ice cream maker ! The inner cylinder should be frozen and ready for use but do not take it out of the freezer yet.

2 1/4 cups whole milk (full- fat, homogenized)
2 1/4 cup whipping cream (35%)
1 vanilla bean
1 1/8 cup fine granulated sugar
1 1/8 cup dutch process cocoa powder. The higher the quality and darker the chocolate is always recommended
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces (pea sized)

MAKE IT

IN LARGE SAUCEPAN, combine milk and cream over MED-LOW heat.
ADD scrapings of vanilla bean and vanilla bean pod to milk mixture
SIMMER for 1/2 hr whisking occasionally.
REMOVE VANILLA POD
IN LARGE BOWL, with electric mixer, beat together sugar, cocoa powder, eggs and egg yolks 4-5 minutes MED speed
SLOWLY pour in 1 cup of hot milk mixture to sugar/egg mixture, beating LOW speed until thoroughly combined
POUR sugar/egg mixture into milk mixture still in saucepan
ADD chopped bittersweet chocolate to milk/egg mixture
WHISK together and simmer over LOW heat until mixtures starts to thicken into creamy custard consistency
REMOVE from heat and whisk in vanilla extract
POUR into heat resistant bowl, cover with cling wrap ensuring plastic touches surface of custard to avoid a pudding skin developing as it cools
LET sit in fridge for 1-2 hours until completely cool

PLACE your frozen ice cream maker insert into machine
FILL with cooled chocolate custard mixture
TURN ON and let blend for 20 minutes
ADD chopped chocolate and continue blending with machine for 5 more minutes
USING a rubber spatula, scrape ice cream into an airtight container suitable for freezing.
FREEZE for 2-3 hours

Eat as-is or dress it up - Super topped with whipped cream, caramel sauce, nuts and a cherry!

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